Firstly, I really liked this week’s show. It’s really good to see Anton showing more of his personality at the judging table, as opposed to imitating Len. There was some great routines in this show, with lots of amazing storytelling and musicality making it very enjoyable to watch.

Here are my thoughts on Week 2 of Striclty Come Dancing:

Bobby and Dianne - Charleston

What a way to start the show this week! A very energetic routine with some ambitious lifts. I thought he was about to drop Dianne when she went over his back but thankfully everything was “alright on the night”, as they say. 

Anabeland Johannes - Quickstep

Anabel looked a lot more comfortable when in her Ballroom hold, showing some great scatter chasses. We agree with the judges’ comments and we are hoping she will be able to relax in future routines and have more confidence in her dancing, especially when dancing out of hold and solo. (A Ball pit looks like a great way to recover at the end of a fast dance, should we get one???) 

Jody and Jowita - Paso Doble

A Paso Doble should be strong and firm but should also show the character of the dance. To create a better posture in Paso Doble, the weight should be moved forwards with the hips to avoid the dancer looking too rigid. A special comment about the fearless Jowita with spinning fire at the start of the routine! Probably one of the most exiting starts to a Paso Doble we have ever seen!

Ellie and Vito - Slow Foxtrot

A fantastic and very fun routine from Vito! There was so much musicality in this and it was very well danced by Ellie. I thought she has made a big improvement from week one, showing some much nicer arms than in week one. I also loved that she danced some beautiful heel pull actions on her feather steps and danced an excellent heel turn. 

Nigel and Katya - Viennese Waltz

A very strong and impressive frame from Nigel, especially as it’s only week 2. It was a shame that his shirt seemed to have a strange cut that gave him some unnecessary bumps on his shoulders. Anton and Shirley quite clearly saw the potential Nigel is showing, giving some very in depth feedback. I would like to see Nigel continue to work on his feet to create a softer movement across in the floor in Ballroom. (Anyone else shocked that Craig became “the nice one” at this point?)

Nikita and Gorka - Charleston

Nikita really showed us a lot more of her personality this week and has really improved her stage presence. However I was quite distracted by the fact that she was not hitting the music, especially next to Gorka. And of course, we need more swivel darling! (Nice Craig didn’t last long, did he?)

Les and Nancy - Samba

I really enjoyed watching Les Dennis growing up. He had a great smile all the way through which was nice to watch. Unfortunately his Samba lacked a lot of the basic technique required for this dance. 

Adam and Luba - Tango

Adam definitely attacked this dance. In order to get power in Tango. However, he should try to use his standing leg to push the weight across the floor more. It was unfortunate that there was a few mistakes in this routine. Let’s hope he has a better week next time. 

Amanda and Giovani - Salsa

Some very intimidating lifts! Again, a lot of improvement from week 1 and so brave to dance the solo section at the beginning. Amanda has some great lateral hip movement. I would like to see her now add some rotation to further fill out the action. 

Krishnan and Lauren - Slow Foxtrot

Krishnan gave this his best attempt but it felt a little clumsy this week. I would love to see more of Krishnan’s personality, especially as there have been so many routines with much more in the acting department.

Eddie and Karen - Cha Cha Cha

Eddie showed great cuban motion with his hips and had a lot of movement in his body. I’m sure Karen will continue to work with him just to tame some of that energy to help make some of his lines look sharper and cleaner. There was a clear focus on trying to straighten the legs which is essential for Cha Cha Cha. Not a bad attempt at all. 

Zara and Graziano - Quickstep

Zara looked very light on her feet, especially with this fast choreography.  It was a very clean routine with lots of great quickstep content. I felt she may have been rotating her body away from Graziano making them a little off sync with each other so this would be something to work on. 

Angela and Carlos - Jive

A very strong Jive danced! Angela really used her feet and legs extremely well showing great technique. She danced her flicks and kicks from the knee, which meant that she looked very light on her feet. I think she will do very well in the other latin dances. 

Angela and Kai - Slow Foxtrot

A very cute routine! I always think that a good foxtrot should look effortless and Angela definitely made this difficult  Ballroom dance look so easy. Her smile is very infectious and I just loved this routine from start to finish. This is proof that a great routine doesn’t have to be complicated, and beautiful basics are all that is needed. 

Layton and Nikita - Quickstep

Wow! Layton and Nikita were so together throughout this routine. They really took on the character of this dance as we were transported to 1940s New York. For Week 2, the frame was very impressive as Layton showed a lot of control over his body. A very enjoyable dance routine! 

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